Tuesday, October 12th, 2010
Although some readers believe that any kind of workplace violence is inappropriate, there was a consensus that acting within reason to protect yourself is okay—nobody should be expected to “stand there and take a beating”.
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Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
As a human rights advisor and educator I was encouraged to overhear this educational conversation about harassment at Tim Hortons. I was concerned however that part of the message this group was hearing was incorrect and misleading.
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Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
You have a legal obligation to understand how the race, religion and sexual orientation of your employees can impact their safety at work. Understanding these factors will empower you to take steps to protect your workers from harassment and violence as required by the recent amendments to Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (Bill 168).
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Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010
Bill 168 is intended to address concerns of workplace violence and harassment in the context of health and safety. It provides definitions of both workplace violence and workplace harassment, and then requires that organizations undertake a risk assessment, draft workplace violence and harassment policies, and develop programs to implement those policies. Furthermore, Bill 168 requires training and instruction of employees regarding the new policies and programs, and creates a positive obligation on the part of employers to take reasonable precautions for the protection of workers when the employer is aware that they may be exposed to domestic violence. Bill 168 also requires that employers provide personal information to employees regarding persons with a history of violent behaviour. Finally, Bill 168 expands the existing right to refuse work, so that it now applies where there is a risk of imminent danger due to workplace violence.
Does the Bill go far enough in addressing workplace violence? Too far? How do we reconcile the reporting obligations with privacy rights?
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Thursday, March 18th, 2010
The Occupational Health and Safety Act requires all employees to:
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Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
Ergonomics is the science of creating a proper fit between a worker and the work environment. Employers are required by law to employ ergonomic principles in the workplace in order to prevent workplace muscular skeletal disorders and also to prevent existing conditions from worsening.
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Monday, March 15th, 2010
Occupational health and safety legislation across Canada requires employers to identify any existing or foreseeable hazards that might arise in the workplace, and to conduct an assessment of these various workplace hazards that employees might be exposed to, or that may arise from the nature of the workplace, and the type and conditions of the work…
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Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
The Ontario Occupational Health and safety Act violence and harassment prevention provisions (Bill 168) require employers to provide information, including personal information, about a person with a history of violent behaviour if:
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Friday, November 6th, 2009
It’s a pleasure to welcome Andrew Lawson as a guest blogger. He will be blogging about human resources, employment and labour law issues, specifically in the areas of human rights and health and safety .
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Wednesday, October 14th, 2009
This month, an Ontario truck driver was fined $305 for smoking in his vehicle, because it is also considered his workplace. Under the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, smoking is prohibited at all workplaces in the province, and this includes a vehicle that is deemed a place of work in the Act. This makes me wonder…
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Friday, September 11th, 2009
Unfortunately, Bill 168 as it stands is vague with regard to what employers must actually do in cases where domestic violence enters the workplace. Legal authorities seem to have little direction to offer on the matter as well.
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Thursday, September 10th, 2009
All workplaces house risks to employees’ health and safety in varying degrees: factories have machinery that can cause serious injuries; warehouses store loads and move them around with cumbersome vehicles, both of which have the potential to injure; even office environments are far from risk-free, although the threats tend to be less visible, like poor indoor air quality and ergonomic arrangements. However, only in the last decade or so has the issue of violence in the workplace gained wide recognition—and this is an issue that can affect all workplaces indiscriminately.
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